


Another Path

by Dragonfly_Dream



Category: Katekyou Hitman Reborn!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Twins, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Fluff, Gen, will add characters as they appear
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-24
Updated: 2021-01-31
Packaged: 2021-03-16 20:06:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,108
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28962159
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dragonfly_Dream/pseuds/Dragonfly_Dream
Summary: Since birth, Tsunayoshi has been neglected by his parents for his twin Ienobu.He finds comfort and family with his friends, friends who will follow him to the end of the world (also known as Italy). Or : how Tsuna still ended up as Vongola Decimo and met the whole crew despite trying his best to avoid the Mafia and not even being a Boss candidate...
Relationships: Sawada Tsunayoshi & Everyone, Sawada Tsunayoshi & Vongola Tenth Generation Guardians
Comments: 5
Kudos: 41





	1. That didn't start so well

**Author's Note:**

> So, this story was inspired by a story that I had read and _never found again_ until some kind readers on ffnet pointed me to this site (which is how I found it in the first place). That amazing story was To That Faraway Sky, by cywscross, so go read it, it's really great, even if it's discontinued.  
> In hindsight, and after reading it again after years of never finding it, I realized that there are indeed quite a number of similarities in the early plot, but I hope it's different enough after 32 chapters that no one is offended (or would tell me if they are).  
> This story is already posted up to chapter 32 on ffnet, where it is roughly updated on a monthly basis, and I intend to add one chapter a week on this site until I catch up.
> 
> Also, for those of you who don't like OC, don't worry, there are only a few and they aren't very developed, just necessary for the plot to move on. Ienobu might stick a while, but he will disappear once Tsuna goes to Italy (in a few chapters).  
>  Finally, I'd like to point that I have no idea how old a child is supposed to be when he starts walking or talking, so please, bear with me and just pretend what I write makes sense while you read. Don't hesitate to leave a review if you want to comment or correct.

It was a rainy night, a taxi was raced through the streets of Namimori, a small and peaceful Japanese city, urged by the pained screams of a pregnant woman and the pseudo-comforting voice of a burly man. The relief of the taxi driver when they finally reached the hospital and the couple were ushered inside was unmeasurable: the father-to-be kept encouraging his wife with cliché sentences such as 'it will be worth it in the end' or 'the pain is mostly in your head', to which the future mother started cursing him like a sailor between gasps of pain.

Truly the worst ride of his career.

While the driver was sobbing in relief in his car, labor had only just begun for Mrs Sawada. The delivery lasted four hours, but at sunrise, the woman could finally rest. Before that, she asked to hold her children in her arms with her husband.

The hospital staff handed her a small infant with a turf of blond hair, and Iemitsu received another toddler, the older one, with brown hair this time.

“He looks just like you, dear.” Cooed Nana watching her younger son. “Let's call him Ienobu.”

“It's a beautiful name. Sawada Ienobu. Nobu or No-kun for short. It has a nice ring to it. And what about this little one?” Inquired the man, pointing to his older child.

“Oh, call him what you want, he doesn't look like you at all.” Answered the mother without looking. “I've got my little No-kun right now.” She smiled at the child in her arms.

Iemitsu frowned slightly at that comment, but didn't dwell on it. Giving birth to the twins had obviously exhausted Nana, and she most likely wasn't thinking straight at the moment. Moreover, she was understandably captivated by the son she was holding, and hadn't yet built the same attachment to the one she hadn't seen clearly. There was nothing to worry about.

“Well, how about Tsunayoshi? Sawada Tsunayoshi? Like a cute little Tuna-fishy?”

“Yes dear, if you want” Nana replied absently, but the blond was too bushy fussing over his sons to notice.

That was the first time Sawada Tsunayoshi was put aside in favor of his younger brother Sawada Ienobu. Unfortunately for the baby, it wouldn't be the last.

()()()()()()

Iemitsu stayed a month with his family before he was called away for his job. He and Nana had taken care together of their sons before that, and the man hadn't noticed that his wife tended to spend more time with No-kun than with Tsu-kun, as they called them. Or maybe he had noted it and didn't want to think about it too much.

Anyway, Iemitsu was now standing on the doorstep and saying goodbye to his wife who was holding a sleeping child in each arm. She was upset to see her husband leave, but understood the importance of his job.

“I'm sorry Nana, I really hoped I could stay longer with you and the kids, but you know how they can't do anything without me at work.”

“Yes, dear I know, and I understand your colleagues count on you a lot. Don't worry, I'm not alone here. I have little No-kun to remind me of you!” She smiled.

“And Tuna-fishy is here as well, I'm sure you three will be just fine!” He kissed Nana on the lips and his sons on their foreheads.

It wasn't the first time he had to remind her of Tsunayoshi's presence, but he figured that with him gone, she would spend more time with their eldest and develop the same bonds as with Ienobu. Nana was an extremely nice woman, if a bit air-headed; she was incapable of mistreating one of her children.

And so Iemitsu left Namimori and his family for his job as head of CEDEF and external advisor to the powerful Vongola Nono (even though he told his wife he was going to build highways for fishes underwater in the Pacific Ocean. His gullible Nana believed his every word).

()()()()()()

Many months passed before Iemitsu returned to Namimori.

Tsuna and Nobu were now 14 months old and were starting to walk. Well, Nobu was using tables to stand and was trying to walk while Tsuna seemed satisfied with sitting or crawling on ground-level.

“You'll never guess how talented our No-kun is!” Gushed Nana. She had begun ranting about her youngest while Iemitsu was still at the door; he still had his boots on and hadn't seen his sons yet. “He almost managed to cross the room! And he can speak really well! He said 'Mama' for the first time 4 months and three days ago and has made impressive progress since! He's really so smart!”

Iemitsu laughed and held his wife closer. He _did_ notice that Nana only talked about one of their children and interrupted her speech after 15 minutes. “And what about Tsuna?” Nana's face scrunched up slightly. Not quite in disgust, more like when you have to talk about something uninteresting when you want to talk about your passion.

“Oh, he's not nearly as smart as No-kun, you know. He only managed to talk recently and his first word was something along the lines of 'hug' or 'up' or something. Still can't walk. But I'm sure with you home, No-kun will learn to say 'Papa' in no time at all! He's such a little genius...”

Nana quickly returned the topic on No-kun, but this time, it didn't tick for Iemitsu. The idea of being called Papa for the first time was way too distracting.

When Nana finished praising Ienobu's achievements, they finally headed for the living room to see the boys. Ienobu was in the process of standing up with the help of the coffee table. Nana ran up to him and cheered him on. Tsuna was the only one to notice the big scary blond man entering and fearfully curled up in a ball in a corner.

Iemitsu noticed his eldest's behavior and walked up to him with big strides and a goofy grin plastered on his face. Tsuna just tried to disappear in the wall even more.

“Hello there, little Tuna-fish! I'm your Papa! I was gone for a while but I'm now back for some time. Now come here in my arms so that I can hug you!”

Tsunayoshi reacted to the word 'hug' and raised his head to look his father in the eyes, but kept a fearful and distrustful stare while he considered crawling to the man.

He _did_ want to be hugged like Mama always did with No-kun, but the man was too scary and overbearing. After thinking about it for a while, he shook his head to signify his refusal.

Nonetheless, Iemitsu was about to lift his son and squeeze the life out of him for his cuteness, when he was called over by an radiant Nana. “Dear, come look! No-kun is walking! No-kun, sweety, go to your Papa there, your Pa-Pa.” Nana stressed the word in the hopes of Ienobu repeating it.

Iemitsu could have sworn the child behind him in a corner muttered the words 'scary man', but dismissed those thoughts quickly. Nana told him Tsu-kun had only just managed to utter a word; it was impossible for him to speak that much. He didn't know that Tsunayoshi could speak months before Ienobu and had a much better handle on the Japanese language that most two or three-year-old. His mother just didn't care about him enough to notice until he actually told her directly 'a hug up, please'.

Unfortunately, his mother still hadn't paid much attention to him at the time and barely noticed that he could speak.

While Nana understood that Iemitsu had to leave for his job, she still missed him very much. Ienobu already looked a lot like his father, and she was sure their resemblance would only increase with time. Her youngest reminded her so much of the older blond and she couldn't help but spend all her time and focus on him, leaving Tsuna to fend for himself. She still fed, bathed and put both children to sleep, but paid much more attention to Ienobu than Tsunayoshi.

The brunet simply looked nothing like her dear husband.

Encouraged by his mother, Ienobu staggered carefully towards the stranger. Following his mother's enthusiastic prompting. Despite not knowing why, he even started to babble “Da... Da... Dada!” and both Iemitsu and Nana completely forgot about Tsunayoshi's existence until dinner in favor of spoiling No-kun.

Tsunayoshi might have only barely been older than one, but he understood perfectly well that his Mama and the man that she called 'Papa' preferred No-kun. Tsuna could talk earlier and better, but Mama hadn't noticed or cared.

He didn't really see the point of walking, preferring to crawl, especially since he didn't have Mama helping him, holding him up and making sure he wouldn't hurt himself when he eventually fell. He had scratched his knees the few times he had tried, started bawling his eyes out, and Mama had only put a plain bandaid on it before she left to help No-kun again.

These differences in the way they were treated made his tummy hurt and he didn't understand why, but he knew it would be useless to cry about it – Mama wouldn't care.

It just seemed so _unfair_. Sure, No-kun was friendlier to strangers, but that was only because Tsuna was more careful and knew that unknown people could harm them, even if they didn't do it on purpose, like that weird blond man. He didn't seem evil or mean, but the way he threw No-kun in the air and caught him was terrifying and Tsuna was glad for once that his existence was forgotten, although he still felt a pinch of envy for the attention and the smile on No-kun's face.

After some observing, Tsuna concluded that the strange man was probably his 'father' and the person Mama talked about to Ienobu at bedtime, telling stories of the blond's exploits.

Tsunayoshi had noticed that the children of their neighbors all has a Mama like him, but also a man called a 'Father' or 'Dad' or even 'Daddy', and had understood that the stranger was supposed to be the same thing for their family. This was another thing that Nana had missed about her eldest: he was actually pretty smart (not a genius, but smarter than Ienobu, at least, despite her claims) and was really good at observing and coming to conclusions. It was how he had learned to speak.

Moreover, Tsuna had a strong Hyper Intuition (though he would only learn of the name years in the future), which saved his life many times. It deterred him from putting the colorful bottles of the laundry room in his mouth and told him to stay away from the stairs when Nana left him alone on the second floor. It stopped him from crawling outside in the street when Mama left the door open and kept him still when she forgot him on the changing table.

With how neglected Tsuna was, he would have died a hundred times over had it not been for his latent Hyper Intuition.

Dinner came and everyone was seated at the table (Tsuna and Nobu in special baby highchairs). Nana was happily feeding Ienobu while Iemitsu was taking care of Tsunayoshi; the man felt at first a bit guilty when he remembered his eldest, but his natural goofiness quickly dismissed that feeling and he was back to his cheerful attitude.

()()()()()()

The following days passed in the same way.

Nana spent her entire time spoiling Ienobu, who looked so much like his father with his blond hair. Had Nana not spent so much time neglected by Iemitsu, she wouldn't have tried so hard to find solace in his look-alike. Had Nana only had one child, she would have spent all her attention on him (or her) because he/she would have been her only link with her husband, her only proof of their love. But unfortunately, she had had _twins_ and Iemitsu spent almost all of his time abroad for his work. She wasn't a bad person, but was so depressed by her missing husband that she found her consolation in what she could and focused entirely on it. Furthermore, her innate air-headed disposition enhanced her neglect of her other son: she honestly didn't notice his existence and need of love.

On the other hand, every day Iemitsu tried to build bonds with Tsunayoshi in the morning (who was still distrustful of him, but at least allowed him close. The man was still too rough for his liking), and every day he was quickly distracted by Nana or Ienobu and forgot Tsuna until he had to be fed or bathed (which he was always the one to do, Nana stayed with No-kun). He always felt bad about it when he realized how much he favored his youngest, but got over it fast.

Ienobu didn't notice anything wrong. He was used to his Mama focusing on him since he was born, and never saw a problem with that. In fact, he was a bit annoyed by the attempts of his 'Dada' (after several days, he still couldn't pronounce it correctly. His parents found that absolutely adorable) to talk with Tsu-kun.

He was better than his twin; his Mama was always with him, so it was obviously true. It was an subconscious thought, but he still felt that he was more interesting than his older brother. So why was the blond man trying to bond with him? He should focus his attention on No-kun, instead!

Thus, he unconsciously drew the man's attention, and it worked like a charm! Both his parents' focus was on him at all times.

Tsunayoshi didn't know what to feel. He was still a bit scared of the blond man (and refused to call him 'Papa'), but he had easily seen that he was the only one willing to pay attention to him. Even if said attention consisted in crushing hugs and getting thrown in the air (thank god it had only happened to him once, he had bawled like crazy in fear. Standing up was already too high, imagine what grazing the ceiling felt like...).

Tsuna still craved care and love, but his caution, fear and unfamiliarity with being the center of attention meant he couldn't accept Iemitsu's clumsy attempts to get close.

()()()()()()

This situation kept going on for four months with no tangible evolution.

In Iemitsu's defense, he never stopped trying to create bonds with Tsunayoshi, but wasn't helped by his wife and younger son. Besides, he really didn't have much in common with quiet, calm, cautious Tsu-kun. No-kun enjoyed playing ball in the garden (throwing it back and forth), being thrown in the air and being caught at the last moment, being hugged and tickled, and generally demanded attention while Tsuna avoided Iemitsu's rough love.

But of course, Iemitsu's stay had to come to an end when CEDEF called him back for an emergency.

Once again, the external advisor was on his house's threshold with his wife holding Ienobu and Tsunayoshi sitting a bit farther back inside, watching intently. Once again he exchanged goodbyes with Nana and promised her to be back as soon as he could. Once again he kissed her on the lips, and his sons on their foreheads (Tsuna had backed away a bit, but Iemitsu didn't notice and just walked closer with his perpetual grin). Once again he turned his back on his house and left for his job in Italy (not to build a shopping mall on the moon like he had told his wife...).

Once again he left Tsunayoshi to be neglected in favor of Ienobu because he didn't look like his absentee father.

()()()()()()

Over time, Tsunayoshi's situation grew worse.

Nana stopped helping him with essentials once she considered him grown enough to do it by himself, despite her still helping Ienobu with a smile.

Soon after Iemitsu left, he was told to dress without any help. If he got it wrong and wore something backwards or couldn't close it correctly, he was mocked by his mother and compared to No-kun who 'had his clothes on perfectly'. Of course, Nana had been the one to dress him.

Tsuna was left to correct his attire by himself or to wear it wrong for the rest of the day. He also had to eat by himself and got scolded for making a mess while Ienobu was spoon-fed by his mother.

At two, Tsuna was left to bathe by himself without surveillance. Or at least that's what he assumed after three days of not being cleaned by Nana who still washed Nobu. He came close to dying a few times by drowning and only his instincts got him to stop panicking and get his head out of the water when he lost his footing.

Nana still cooked his food and bought his clothes, but she mostly left him to his own devices, so Tsuna grew up to be pretty independent. He still craved the love of his mother, but quickly realized he would never have it.

The few times Iemitsu got home, the man assumed Nana only left him in charge of Tsuna for the duration of his stay and took care of their eldest herself when he was away, so he never made too much effort to mend Tsunayoshi's relationship with his mother or with himself.

When the two children turned three, they got sent to kindergarten and things took a turn for the worse for Tsuna.

He eventually had had to learn to walk by himself, and as such was much clumsier and tripped often. Being made fun of forced him to correct his walking and within a year he was about as adept at moving as his classmates, but the nickname 'Dame-Tsuna' created by his sempai stayed in the minds of the children.

Ienobu took to calling him that in the blink of an eye, and as Nobu had become the class' leader, the other kids gleefully followed. Soon, everyone knew the brunet as 'Dame-Tsuna'; even his own mother only referred to him that way.

Iemitsu thought it was an endearing nickname and called him either that or 'Tuna-fishy' the rare times when he was at home. The boy would stay 'Dame-Tsuna' in his classmates' minds for his whole school life, despite his average athletic abilities.

When Tsuna and Nobu started going to kindergarten, the youngest figured out that not only did he dislike his parents taking care of his brother, he actually disliked _anyone_ paying positive attention to his sibling.

Thankfully for him, Nobu was a bright cheery child who liked to befriend strangers whereas Tsuna was shy, stayed in the corner and had a hard time making friends. It was easy for him to turn the other kids against the brunet, excluding him, and making sure he never actually had an opportunity to make a positive impression to anyone.

He began hurting Tsunayoshi at home, sometimes hidden from his Mama, sometimes right in front of her. Claiming that Tsuna had wronged him always got his mother on his side, despite the brunet crying that it wasn't true. Nana let Ienobu get away with everything and didn't care for Tsuna enough to stop him. She almost never beat him herself, unless she saw Tsunayoshi 'harm' her precious No-kun in some distorted way. Not that her usual neglect of her eldest was doing him any good either.

Building Tsuna a bad reputation as an clumsy, idiotic loser was just as easy for Ienobu.

You'd think Tsuna would have disproved the 'idiotic' part the first time he and Nobu took a test. It was a simple Japanese test, to see if they had the characters memorized. Tsuna easily completed his paper : he had an affinity with language in general, both his own and foreign tongues, and loved initiation to English. He even started to study the language by himself with a beginner's book found in the school's small library.

Nobu had a harder time answering the questions. The next day, the teacher returned their tests and Nobu had a 71 out of 100. Hardly a bad grade, but not enough for the boy who was used to everything going his way. Even worse : Tsuna had a 100.

This was unacceptable. During break time, he waited for his brother to head to the library and talked to the teacher.

“Sensei, No-kun saw Tsu-kun cheat at the test the other day.” He said, looking as though he didn't know if he should have said that, with small tears at the corner of his eyes. It was a face that always worked to keep his father away from Tsuna. It worked like a charm on the young, inexperienced teacher. The woman looked surprised and asked him what he saw exactly, already completely buying the child's act.

“Tsu-kun had paper under his desk and was looking at it. At home, Tsu-kun even said that it was easy to not be seen.” He lied.

“I see. I'll talk to him after this. Cheating is a very bad thing to do. You were right to report this to me Ienobu-kun, I'll take care of this. You don't have to blame yourself, you did what you had to.” The teacher reassured the 'worried' child. Nobu just nodded with a happy smile and went to play outside with his friends.

When every child returned to the classroom, the teacher called Tsuna in front of everyone and proceeded to lecture him sternly on how cheating was a very naughty thing to do.

Tsuna was quick to guess what happened and whose fault it was : Nobu's satisfied grin behind the teacher's back was telling.

“Tsu-kun didn't cheat!” He tried to defend himself.

“You should really stop lying or I'll call your parents, Tsunayoshi-kun. I know you cheated to have full marks on your test yesterday, you should just admit it.”

“But Tsu-kun did not cheat for the tes-” He started.

“Stop it you loser!” Sneered another child. “Everybody knows that you're Dame-Tsuna, you couldn't have a good score without cheating!”

“Yeah, you're stupid, and you wanted to be better than Nobu! But Dame-Tsuna can't do anything so you had to cheat! So pathetic...” Mocked another.

“B-But...” Tsuna was about to cry. He was used to being ignored, not slandered unfairly by a whole class.

“That's it, Tsunayoshi-kun.” Interrupted the teacher, sounding annoyed. She obviously believed that Tsuna's reputation as an idiot was true, because the child never answered questions due to shyness. “I'll tell your parents about your behavior when they come pick you and Ienobu-kun. You should be ashamed of yourself.” She concluded and sent poor Tsuna back to his desk.

When Nana and Iemitsu arrived, the teacher told them Tsunayoshi had cheated without mentioning that it was Ienobu who saw him. She didn't want to put her 'honest' and 'kind' student in a bad spot.

Tsuna got scolded by both his parents. Iemitsu telling him that cheating was bad, and Nana saying that he should stop misbehaving and that it was obvious that he couldn't have a better grade than her No-kun. Her husband didn't hear that last part as he was busy apologizing to their teacher for their misbehaving child. All the while, Ienobu was behind his Mama's legs and grinning to Tsuna.

' _This is what you deserve, Dame-Tsuna_ ' his eyes seemed to say.

After that, each time Tsuna got a good grade, the same thing would occur. Sometimes, the teachers, seeing that he got all his answers right, just gave him a zero, saying he should really learn that cheating was wrong and that it was obvious that a failing student like him could never ace a test honestly. He should just start studying seriously, like his bright younger brother. How had Tsunayoshi been born before Ienobu when the latter was the one acting like a responsible older sibling and pushing his brother on the right path.

Eventually, Tsuna realized that it was useless to show his smarts at school and began failing tests purposefully. His classmates still mocked him and his teachers still looked at him with slight disgust, but at least he didn't get automatic zeros and wasn't kept after school to talk with his disappointed parents anymore.


	2. That took an unexpected turn

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am utterly unable to make children talk like their age, so just assume that those kids are either very bright or live in an environment that pushed them to speak 'normally' rather than childishly. Or any other excuse you might think of, really; you don't want to read my attempts at baby talk.  
> The chapters are not completely rewritten from what I posted a while ago on fanfiction.net (I'm too lazy for that), but I did rephrase and rework them a little. It was too painful to read otherwise.  
> Thank you to everyone that read (or re-read) this story of mine, especially to those that took the time to comment!

Tsunayoshi and Ienobu were now 4.

On the one hand, Nobu had become the leader of the whole kindergarten, even the older kids were kind with him and many joined his large group of friends. It was commonly known that he was the one to follow to have the most fun. He was one of the smartest kids and his mother made him delicious cookies and cakes that he shared with all his friends.

Tsuna, on the other hand, had solidified his status as Dame-Tsuna. He always got bad grades, barely passing, and was thought to be stupid. He was allegedly clumsy and had many bullies (who tripped him at any occasion, hence his continued reputation). He was not athletic (half true; he was not as athletic as his brother, but could still hold his own. He just didn't see the point of sports, especially if Ienobu was going to be the one praised anyway). He had no friends at all; who would want to be seen with Dame-Tsuna, the stupidest, most clumsy, weakest and least social kid at school. Nobody wanted his bullies to pay attention to them.

The brunet had learned after many beatings that trying to speak with his bullies was useless, what with Ienobu sending them after him with his blessing. He also discovered that no adult would step up for him due to his reputation as a loser and that the harassment ended faster if he just took it without a word.

Tsuna stopped trying to speak to others unless prompted, and nobody minded. He knew it was pretty pathetic, but was also aware that he couldn't win against older children ganging up on him and that not even his mother would intervene. She seemed to believe that it was only 'fair' that such a useless son was used as a scapegoat.

Especially if it made her No-kun happy.

In order to avoid both his brother (who had turned nastier and crueler over the years), his many bullies and his mother, Tsuna created a routine to follow each day. He woke up early (earlier than his Mama and Nobu), made some toast and quickly headed for kindergarten on his own (one of the other things Nana stopped doing for him, though she still brought her No-kun by car every day). The streets were mostly empty so early in the morning.

Once in the school building, he would find a place to hide, like the roof or a janitor's cupboard, and waited until it was time to show up for roll call. He tried his best to hide as well during breaks, but his bullies usually caught him before he could escape.

At lunchtime, he went to the unlocked roof (the teachers were supposed to watch the other children and make sure they didn't go there, but they never paid him any attention) and ate whatever lunch he had found in the morning at home and that his bullies didn't take (his guts clearly told him that attempting cooking was a bad idea right now). Then he returned to class, spent the second break like the first until it was time for parents to fetch their children.

He always managed to leave on his own (again, no one minded him) and wandered the streets until dinnertime. Thankfully, apart from the rampant bullying, Namimori had little in the way of criminal activities.

Nana seemed perfectly fine with this arrangement, since it left her more time for No-kun. Not once did she ask him what he did in his free time.

Weekends were essentially the same, with Tsuna roaming the city from early morning to late evening, staying safe thanks to his keen intuition. After diner, the brunet stayed in his room, reading borrowed books from the library or studying languages. He was already fluent in Japanese and English and was currently learning Italian after finding some books in that language in his house along with an old Italian-Japanese dictionary.

Tsuna had many secrets (could they be called secrets if no-one actually cared about them?), including his knack for languages that he kept hidden at school, but the biggest of them all was a strange ability he had developed: he could summon fire in his hands. Well it looked like fire, but it clearly wasn't the normal kind.

He discovered this ability during one of his city walks. A cat was stuck in a tree and meowing for help, but the park was deserted, so he took it upon himself to rescue the kitten. Climbing the tree proved easy enough; he wasn't as athletic a Ienobu, but wasn't as weak as others believed either. He reached a hand to grab the cat which obediently let himself be held until Tsuna started climbing down.

The cat panicked and scratched the brunet on the arm in its frenzy. Surprised and in pain, Tsuna let go of the branch he was holding. He barely had the time to catch the kitten and hold it close, hoping to at least shield it from the fall.

Just as he was about to painfully crash on the ground, his body was engulfed in bright orange fire that slowed his fall. He found himself uninjured, sitting on the ground and holding a terrified but unharmed kitten who ran away in a hurry.

Once the shock faded, Tsuna realized the strange fire came from _him_. He could still feel it inside his chest, ready to burst out. No-one was around, so he tried to summon the fire again.

It answered his call, less violently than the first time, and a beautiful orange flame shimmered on his hand.

Since then, every day before going home for dinner, Tsuna would find a deserted area of Namimori (he knew the town enough by now that it was an easy task) and practiced summoning and manipulating the weird but pretty fire from his body.

The first times after the adrenaline rush, forcing the flame to appear proved difficult, but he learned fast. He tried drawing out as much as he could, molding it into different shapes, calling multiple flames on his fingers at once... Tsuna also discovered that the orange fire only burned what he wanted it to. It could be a calming, warm, harmless flicker, or a violent, burning, dangerous inferno depending on his will.

()()()()()()

Tsuna's life took a turn for the better one day, while he was searching for en empty place to practice his control. He was walking across the deserted factories of Namimori when he saw three older boys, probably high-schoolers, laughing and kicking something on the floor.

Following his guts and ignoring common sense, the brunet got closer to see what they were so focused on. He found a tiny little bird, yellow and round-shaped, with wings so small it would be a wonder if it could fly at all.

It was currently on the ground, its left wing obviously crooked and injured and enduring kicks from the laughing high-schoolers.

Let it be known that, while Tsuna never fought against his own bullies anymore, he couldn't let anyone (or anything) else be harmed under his watch if he could help it.

He raced to the bird, pushing the older kids with his shoulder and curled up around the fluff ball, yelling for the bullies to stop harming the bird, that it didn't deserve this.

The high-schoolers were caught by surprised, but swiftly got over it and started hitting the new kid instead. His already battered appearance clearly showed him to be regularly bullied and they didn't like having their fun interrupted. Obviously, nobody would mind.

Tsuna took the beating without a word, he was used to it, although the older kids hit harder than kindergarteners. He protected the bird, that let out a pathetic squeak which he decided to take as a thank you.

However, the high-schoolers rapidly got tired of the unresponsive Tsuna. They wanted him to react, so they picked up rusted pipes on the ground to hit him harder.

Tsuna understood that if he let them, he would have more than bruises and minor cuts to deal with. Moreover, the bird would not be getting out alive.

He did the only thing he could think of; a second before the pipes connected with his body, he let his flames out, violently, aiming to melt the metal and maybe burn the hands of his attackers.

He knew he shouldn't let anyone see his power, but what other choice did he have? Besides, nobody would believe kids who said fire burst out of a kindergartener...

It worked exactly how he wanted. The pipes melted almost instantly and the bullies' hands were just a bit singed, nothing lasting.

However, _they_ didn't react like Tsuna had expected. Instead of running away in fear, all three teens screamed, panicked and frantically grabbed for more make-shift weapons to destroy the monster in front of them.

Tsuna realized he wouldn't escape without seriously harming the older boys was at a loss. He refused to use his ability to really hurt anyone – it would just be another way of bullying – but if he didn't do anything, he wouldn't be walking out of this encounter...

What neither Tsuna nor the high-schoolers knew was that their whole interaction had been seen.

On top of one of the abandoned factories stood a figure, a 6-year-old who first saw the bullies kicking the bird and was about to get the jump on them when another child barged in.

He saw when the apparently-not-Herbivore released strange flames obviously controlled enough not to seriously injure the other Herbivores. He saw the not-Herbivore-but-evidently-not-Carnivore's reluctance to harm his attackers, and decided it was time to step in.

Hibari Kyoya was curious of the not-Herbivore who could somehow summon such powerful flames that they melted metal; he didn't want it to be killed so soon. “I'll bite you Herbivores to death.”

He jumped on one of the bullies, tonfas out and already lashing, and made quick work of the three high-schoolers. They were weak.

Once his job of keeping the peace accomplished, he made for the still sitting brunet who was watching, scared. He clearly knew who he was facing.

Hibari Kyoya was already well-known as a demon child who 'bit to death' anyone who opposed him or disturbed the 'peace of Namimori'. His weird speech pattern about the animal kingdom as infamous as his temper, and people no longer felt offended at being called 'Herbivores' (or were too scared to voice their problem).

Tsuna prayed to any and all gods that he hadn't seen him use his flames.

“Fake-Herbivore, what was that fire you used?”

Apparently the gods didn't feel like granting Tsuna's wish.

The brunet stayed quiet, which annoyed the raven head.

“Fake-Herbivore.” He growled. The creature in front of him was _not_ a Herbivore – Herbivores don't catch on fire unharmed – but didn't have any other name to call him. A Carnivore wouldn't have hesitated to bite the other Herbivores to death. “Answer my question.”

Tsuna wouldn't get away without answering the other boy, but he didn't know exactly how to explain his power either. “ It... It's an ability I have...” He began, shakily, knowing that if the other didn't have a satisfactory explanation, he would be bitten to death. “I can summon orange fire from inside of me. It can burn if I want it to, or it can just be warm...” He trailed off, not knowing precisely what the dark-haired boy wanted to hear.

Kyoya was thinking. The ability this... he decided to call it an Omnivore for now, his father had told him about their existence once, even if he had been doubtful at the time. Anyway, the ability this Omnivore displayed was pretty interesting. Perhaps...

“Can I learn it?”

Tsuna was flabbergasted. He had no idea how the other would react to _any_ answer, so he settled with the truth. “I don't know, Hibari-san. I have never seen anyone use the same ability before, but maybe you can learn it?”

That settled it for Kyoya. If there was a chance he could have such a destructive ability, he would take it, even if it meant crowding with the Omnivore. He seemed to at least not be the overly-chatty or overbearing type, so the raven could bear his presence for a while... or bite him to death if he became too annoying.

“You will teach me how to use those flame.” He declared and the brunet's face paled even more. “You are still in kindergarten, so I will pick you up after it ends every day until I can.” There was only one big kindergarten in all of Namimori, he knew where to find him. He would also research the Omnivore while he was at it; maybe it would help him gain those flames.

Without another explanation, Hibari jumped to a nearby rooftop and left the area and a shell-shocked Tsunayoshi behind with an injured bird.

After half an hour of mute gaping, the brunet remembered where he was and the three knocked out high-schoolers around him. He promptly ran off as well, the bird carefully cradled in his arms.

They reached an empty park (it was only the beginning of spring, still too cold to play out) and Tsuna began treating the bird's injuries with the healing kit he always carried in his bag. His own wounds had granted him some experience, and he did his best to bandage the crooked left wing. Once again, the little thing squeaked in thanks.

Tsuna didn't know what to do with the bird. Bringing it home was out of the question, it would be a disaster if his mother or brother stumbled across it. He eventually settled with creating a makeshift shelter for it in a tree, out of range of most predators, and to cover the inside with his spare clothes to keep it warm.

He would visit it again tomorrow with something to eat. Unfortunately, he didn't carry any money with him, since his mother never gave him any and his bullies would probably end up taking it either way.

He totally forgot about Hibari telling him he would pick him up after school. After all, it sounded so unreal...

()()()()()()

The next day went like all the others until kindergarten was over. Tsuna was about to sneak out with some leftover toast to feed the bird when he was caught by the collar.

“Where are you going, Omnivore?” Growled a kid in elementary school clothes.

Tsuna hadn't seen him coming, and flinched when he recognized him. How had he forgotten about _that_?!

“Hi-Hibari-san! I-I'm sorry I forgot about our deal! B-But I have to go ch-check on that bird, I have to g-go feed it!” he said, his voice so strangled from fear that only Kyoya heard him. The other kids and parents had stepped back from the 'demon child' and were watching, frightened, and in the case of the kindergarteners, a bit amused: Dame-Tsuna was going to get one heck of a beating.

However, Hibari was thoughtful. He would never admit it, but he _did_ have a soft spot for small animals. Yesterday, he had expected the Omnivore to take the bird he had so stubbornly protected home, but it apparently wasn't so, which meant the bird was outside, injured somewhere and waiting to be fed...

He pulled the brunet away, far from prying ears, and asked. “Where is the bird, Omnivore?”

Tsuna was surprised both by the question and the way he was called, but nevertheless pointed in the direction of the park.

Kyoya kept dragging the other, who sometimes waved in the right direction in frightened silence, until they stopped under a tree with a small shelter in the higher branches.

Retrieving the bird and setting it on the floor, he observed the bandages on the wing. Hibari's love of small animals meant he had saved a number of them and had some knowledge about treating them. The bandage was passable, not the best, but it still showed some experience. Not that he was surprised: investigating the Omnivore (he found his name in the student registry, his photo easy to find thanks to that ridiculous hair), he read that he was supposedly stupid and clumsy, with the nickname of Dame-Tsuna. Such a pathetic student would be frequently bullied and injured.

Though somehow, the records didn't seem very accurate. Not to talk about the flame power, but the brunet's reaction time when threatened or questioned, his knowledge of how to build shelters (he had made a nice one, to be honest. It blocked the wind and kept the bird inside warm) didn't belong on a hopelessly useless student. He hadn't even fallen or even stumbled once while Kyoya had frogmarched him to the park, so how could he be so clumsy?

Tsuna proceeded to feed the bird his toast and checked the injury himself: it seemed to be healing nicely.

Out of nowhere, a stupid idea shot through his head and he found himself talking without thinking. “You seem to like birds, since you went with me to see this one. I can't bring it to my house, so could you keep it at your home until it heals?” He suddenly shut his mouth, the last word ending high-pitched with the return of his senses. What the hell was he (not) thinking?! Asking _Hibari Kyoya_ to keep a bird?! He was going to get bitten to death!

Hibari stared at the squeaking Omnivore and thought about it. He _did_ want to take the bird home, but didn't want others to know of his love of small animals.

Then again, if the Omnivore ever talked, he could just bite him to death, along with anyone in hearing range.

“Hn.” He nodded. Tsuna was stunned speechless. “I'm taking you to my house so you can show me those flames. I can take the bird too”. He picked up the yellow ball of fluffy feathers, turned on his heels and walked away. A threatening glare backwards had Tsuna promptly on his feet and following in silence.

Hibari's home was a huge Japanese mansion, the kind you see in movies with paper sliding doors and a koi pond. Tsuna was awed as the older boy gently set the bird on a table and he was led to the backyard that doubled as training grounds. The few servants they passed were obviously just as stunned to see their young master in the company of another human being.

Kyoya just sat them in the center and ordered. “Start.”

Tsuna had had the whole trip here to figure out how to teach the use of flames. For some reason, his gut feeling told him that everything would be alright, and it calmed him a bit. He had relied on it since very young and had absolute trust in it.

“W-well, the first time my flames appeared, I was about to fall and hurt myself.” Hibari arched an eyebrow. “But I'm not sure you have to be in danger to use it. I mean, since then I can summon them freely whenever I want.” He called a flame in his hand to demonstrate. Hibari was focused on him, but his intuition kept him calm and he continued. “I know those flames come from somewhere _inside_ of me, so, if you have them too, you have to find a way to call them out.”

“And what if I don't feel any flame inside of me now?” Questioned Kyoya, who was obviously very serious about learning that ability, which set Tsuna at ease. He would probably not get randomly bitten to death as long as he gave it his all in teaching, and that, he could do.

“It... probably doesn't mean anything.” He explained, carefully choosing each word, lest he give the other boy false hope. “I didn't feel any fire inside my chest before I first summoned my flames either. But since the first time they appeared, it's always been there.”

Kyoya nodded, thoughtful. “Your flames first appeared when you were in danger?”

Tsuna winced. He had been in danger plenty of times before that. Whether it be due to his mother's neglect, his bullies or his brother's beatings at home, but the flames had never appeared before the cat incident.

It suddenly clicked in Tsuna's mind. “I know! I've been in danger and hurt before, but the first time the flames came was when I wanted to protect something – a cat actually.”

The raven seemed doubtful and a bit disappointed. “I protect Namimori but I've never felt any flames.”

Tsuna shook his head, emboldened by the other boy's earnestness. “The flames are more of a mental sort of thing. It's not what's outside of you that matters, but what's _inside_. I think I first summoned my flames because I really, _really_ wanted to protect that cat from the fall, so if you do something you really want to do, maybe yours will appear, if you have some that is.” But he didn't honestly doubt that Hibari Kyoya had flames. The boy was much more amazing than himself. It seemed odd to bullied and neglected Tsuna that 'Dame-Tsuna' could do or have something that the 'demon child of Namimori' could not.

Moreover, he could feel it in his guts, the older boy had the ability as well.

Hibari frowned. “What I want to do the most is to have those flames.”

Tsuna sweat-dropped. The other boy was really not helping him. “Well, maybe if you focus very hard on that wish it will come true? It took me a while for me to summon my flames on purpose after I calmed down the first time.”

“Hn, so meditation could help? My family has some techniques to help focus.” Asked the raven. He really wanted the ability to use flames and would be civil (well, Hibari-civil at least) if it meant he could achieve that.

He also understood that the Omnivore in front of him didn't have any theoretical knowledge of his power and could only teach according to his own experience and guesses. Pushing him and threatening him even more would be of no use, apart from scaring the boy and making him less willing to help.

(Kyoya was still a 6-year-old, not nearly as ruthless and uncompromising as he would be growing up.)

Tsuna's intuition flared at Hibari's suggestion. That seemed like a good starting point. “It _could_ work, you'll have to try to see for sure.”

Kyoya nodded. Then he realized that with their detour to see the bird (whose shelter had been located on the other side of town) they had no time left before his next patrol. “I have to go patrol. You go back home, Omnivore, I'll fetch you tomorrow after school.”

The brunet obediently went along, already aware that whatever issue he had with that plan would be at best ignored, at worst dealt with a tonfa in the face. Better to stay quiet go home; it was almost time for dinner anyway.

Kyoya didn't realize until much later, after beating two groups of peace-disturbing Herbivores, that not once had he felt like bitting the Omnivore to death during the day, which was a first.

His family members, he could tolerate since he recognized them all as fellow Carnivores and he didn't spend a lot of time around them. Even his parents were rarely home (not that any of them minded; all Hibaris needed their space). It was the first time since he could remember that he spent hours at once with another human being without murderous urges.

It went to show exactly how strange the Omnivore was.

When he came home late at night from his patrol, he checked on the bird in the living room. It was fast sleep, but woke up when he got close.

Kyoya fed him some bread and vegetables (why did they have that in his house while he was a Carnivore? Because the servants liked to eat more than meat). He took the bird to his room, settled it on another table, surrounded by cloth to be comfortable and went to bed.

He dreamed of bright orange flames and deep purple fire.


End file.
